


Cards

by astrangerenters



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-12
Updated: 2007-05-12
Packaged: 2017-10-28 00:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/301816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangerenters/pseuds/astrangerenters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He removed a deck of cards and began shuffling them. "Well, since we are currently stuck here, would anyone care to play?" Four stories from the Salikawood to just after Giruvegan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cards

"So close, but always another obstacle in our path. I sense a recurring theme on this journey," Balthier muttered and sat down on an old tree stump. Ashe groaned and sat down on another stump as the party halted their advance towards Archades.

They had spent their entire day walking through the hot Salikawood. Ashe could just feel the breeze from the coast, but the big gate remained closed without its Moogle operators. Fran and Basch had drawn the short straws and were traipsing back through the woods in search of the Moogle foreman's crew. Ashe would tug on the gate herself if it would get her to Archades faster, but for now they had to wait.

Vaan and Penelo sat down on the ground in front of the gate and began talking excitedly about sneaking into the Empire through the back door. The sky pirate called over to them. "You know, it's not exactly sneaking if you yammer on like that!"

Penelo blushed, but Vaan was undeterred. "There's no one out here but dream hares, Balthier. Maybe you should calm down!" the young man replied. "Archadia isn't that dangerous, right?"

Balthier rolled his eyes and unsnapped one of the small pouches that hung from his belt. He removed a deck of cards and began shuffling them. "Well, since we are currently stuck here, would anyone care to play?"

Ashe shook her head and preferred to examine an old map of the Phon Coast for a potential route to take when the path cleared. Vaan and Penelo walked over and sat down on the ground to join the sky pirate.

"I've never played cards before," Vaan admitted, hanging his head in defeat. Ashe looked up to see Balthier grin larger than she had ever seen him grin before, and the Princess knew that Vaan had just made a big mistake.

"Never played cards?" Balthier asked in surprise, and Penelo also admitted to not having any knowledge of card playing. "Maybe you children would be better suited to the Moogle hunt with Fran and Basch?"

"Hey!" Vaan cried, "We're not children!"

Ashe withheld a smile and was about to turn back to the map when Balthier spoke again. "Well then Vaan, how would you like to play 52 card pick-up?"

The Princess scowled at the pirate's suggestion. "Balthier, don't…"

The young man looked between Balthier and Ashe then, not catching on. "What? What is it?" Penelo's interest was piqued, and Ashe could tell the girl hoped to be included as well. Balthier's eyes caught hers then, a silent demand to not reveal the trick. She wanted to prevent the children from being fooled, but she supposed they could all use some diversion.

"Princess, let him play it if he doesn't know it," the sky pirate said with a devious wink. He shuffled the cards expertly, and Ashe found herself watching him in amazement. The children were also mesmerized by the deft movements of Balthier's fingers as he shuffled like it was second nature.

When he was done shuffling, he did not look at Vaan or Penelo, but at her since she was now in on the deception. "Would you like to do the honors, your Highness?" he inquired, holding the cards out to her.

There was something else in his gaze, something more than a silly card trick, and Ashe shook her head. She returned her eyes to the map, feeling her face redden at his attention. "No, thank you. I had enough older brothers to teach me to play that game," she replied, looking for the location of the Hunter's Camp on the faded old parchment.

She did not look up from the map when she heard Vaan and Penelo cry out in surprise along with the sound of cards fluttering through the air. The jack of spades landed in her lap as Balthier shouted "Pick up!" noisily.

"That's not fair!" Penelo squealed, and Ashe picked up the worn card and smiled. A knave from the knave. If a person could be a playing card…she thought with a smirk.

She held up the jack and waved it at Balthier. "I've got you here in my lap, Balthier!" she exclaimed. But instead of the expected laughs, she met the blank faces of the children, and a look of utter surprise from the sky pirate. It was then that Ashe realized the folly of her silly utterance. I've got you here in my lap? She wanted to hide behind the tree stump.

Ashe fumbled for the words to undo her great faux pas. "It's a jack! A knave card! And there's no better personification for that card than yourself, Balthier," she muttered in a sorry attempt to explain what she had meant.

He laughed at her and began helping Vaan and Penelo pick up the cards. She folded up the map and stowed it away in her belongings. Ashe knew he would never let her live that down, so she felt the need to escape. "Maybe I'll go see if I can help look for the Moogles," she said quietly, picking up her sword and shield.

"No Ashe, don't go!" Vaan cried, "You have to teach us a real game!" She sighed and acquiesced. She joined Vaan, Penelo and the retrieved cards in a circle with Balthier deciding to sit by her side.

He leaned over to whisper in her ear as Vaan and Penelo fretted over the cards, attempting to mimic Balthier's shuffling prowess. "Shall I sit in your lap, Princess?" he asked wickedly, and she scooted closer to Penelo at his behavior.

"I spoke without thinking," she retorted and waited for the children to be satisfied with their shuffling. He said nothing else while Ashe did her best to explain a simple game of poker to Vaan and Penelo. The girl caught on quickly, but Vaan seemed to have a great deal of difficulty making a poker face.

Balthier dealt the next hand, and Vaan made a disgusted face at the cards he had. The sky pirate snorted at the obvious display, and Ashe cleared her throat to get the young man's attention. "Vaan, if your cards are poor, you should not let us know."

"But I don't have anything!" he replied sadly, letting his hand down to reveal his cards to the rest of the group. Balthier groaned at Vaan's behavior, but Ashe's eyes widened.

Penelo looked at the young man's cards quickly, and then her eyes darted up to look between the two older players. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked, holding her own cards against her chest.

Balthier's laughter echoed throughout the valley between the forest and the gate as Ashe peered forward to examine Vaan's cards. "I don't believe it!" she cried, "Vaan, you have a royal flush!"

"Just like you did a while ago, Princess," Balthier joked, throwing his cards down on the ground. He stood up to greet Fran, who was now returning with a pair of Moogles. The Princess thought back to her verbal misstep earlier. A royal flush, indeed. Ashe sighed at Balthier's sense of humor as Fran explained how many more tiny engineers she needed to retrieve from the Salikawood.

Ashe dealt another hand to Vaan and Penelo as she tried to listen in on the pirate and Viera's conversation. They were speaking in hushed tones, the words "Draklor" and "father" making themselves known to her ears. What were they talking about, Ashe wondered.

Eventually Balthier seemed to grow frustrated, and Fran shook her head. The Viera turned around to head back to the Salikawood as her partner sat down in a huff on a stump. He took out his gun, some oil and a cloth and began to clean it, his mind seemingly miles away. Ashe had never seen the sky pirates argue, and she knew something was wrong.

She turned back to the game, giving Balthier some privacy. By some stroke of luck, Vaan continued to win the next few hands. Eventually the sky pirate seemed to calm down a bit, the tension falling away from his shoulders as he went into a methodical cleaning mode. He looked over to their game finally, his usual good humor returning.

"If you've never played cards before, what in Ivalice do children in Rabanastre do when they are growing up? Is Dalmasca so backwards that you don't learn card games?" he inquired, returning his cleaning supplies to his pack on the ground.

Vaan and Penelo shrugged, but Ashe would not take the insult to her country lightly. She glared at the sky pirate.

"Children in Rabanastre go outside and enjoy their youthful years! They enjoy the sunshine. They run and play and act like children, for goodness sake! They don't waste their time like you seemed to! I bet you spent your entire childhood in seedy pirate taverns, wasting your money on these foolish card games!" she scolded.

She expected him to laugh at her accusation, but instead he frowned. He turned away with a shaking of his head, and Ashe wondered what she had said to affect him so greatly. Eventually he returned with a smile, but she could tell that it was forced.

"You think you know so much about how I spent my youth, Princess?" he asked snidely. He retrieved his cards from the children and herself, returning them to the pouch at his side. He slung his gun onto his back and marched off. Basch emerged from the woods then with more Moogles, and Ashe felt like she had committed some grave error.

Vaan and Penelo chatted with the Moogles as Basch approached her. She watched Balthier wander off into the Salikawood alone, his usual confident swagger absent. "Your Majesty, is Balthier taking my place?" Basch inquired.

Ashe nodded. "So it would seem," she replied quietly. She let Basch talk about their plans for the next leg of their journey as she watched the sky pirate's back disappear into the lush green trees.

-

Penelo's even breathing signaled her descent into sleep, and Ashe stared up at the heavy canvas of the tent over her head. She envied the girl's ability to shut down after a long day, and the Princess longed for rest. But with all she had learned that day, she knew that slumber was a long way off.

They had reached the Hunter's Camp late that morning, and she had been so captivated by the cool blue waters that crashed against the shore that she had tripped. And Balthier had been there to catch her hand. He had then told her about his past, about his father, so many things he had tried to escape. And how helping her cause was now bringing him back to a place he ran from.

She remembered her remarks the other day in the Salikawood, and she felt ashamed. But it's not like she had known about his upbringing. For all she knew, he had always been a scoundrel and a pirate. She listened to the waves and tried to let the constant sound lull her to sleep. There were voices outside the tent, barely detectable to her ears. She strained to listen.

"Hit me," a familiar voice demanded, and she sat up at the sound. It was Balthier's voice clearly enough, but what was he talking about? Who did he want to hit him?

She heard Basch's voice respond, but his low gruff tones were not discernible to her. Balthier replied to whatever Basch had said. "Let me worry about it. Just hit me already."

What in Ivalice were they doing? Sparring at this hour? Ashe crawled over to the opening of the tent and pulled the flap slightly to peek out at her companions. But what she saw made her shake her head in amusement. She should have known.

Basch and Balthier were seated on a wooden platform not far from the tents, a small fire burning in the sands beside them. And they were playing cards. Basch handed Balthier another card from the deck, and the sky pirate added it to his hand, smirking at it. The knight laughed heartily, and set down his own cards.

"You went over, did you not?" Basch accused, his features handsome and much gentler when he was relaxed. The sky pirate snorted and tossed down his cards grumpily.

"It was a calculated risk," Balthier replied, and Basch gathered their cards to shuffle the deck. Balthier handed over some shiny stone to his companion, and Ashe saw that they were betting against one another at this game. Basch had apparently gotten very lucky on that last hand, as his pile of stones was considerably smaller than the other man's.

Ashe emerged from the tent and walked over to the platform. She stood between them and smiled. "So you want Basch to hit you? What sort of game is this?" she inquired.

Basch looked up at her and grinned. "Good evening, Highness. Just blackjack."

Balthier placed a hand over his heart and looked at her lovingly. "You thought Basch was going to harm me? Ah, that your ladyship would come to my rescue…it is touching, really."

She sighed at his bravado and sat between the two of them as Basch dealt two cards to himself and the pirate. Balthier scrunched up his face to see his cards in the faint fire light, and he tossed a small stone in between them. Basch added a stone as well, and Ashe watched the two men play.

"So as I was saying," Balthier spoke, "It's not elegant, but it gets the job done. Hit."

Basch slid over another card to the sky pirate and looked at his own cards. "For ranged attacks it can be a great aid, but all that smoke? A bow is better for that business."

Ashe wanted to roll her eyes. Of course they would find a way to argue about weaponry after spending hours that day fighting. She preferred to think of battling as a necessary evil, but the two men were more seasoned in the field than she was and spoke constantly about arms and armor. They had kept her up a few weeks ago in the Paramina Rift, their bickering about hand bombs going on for hours. Some part of her wished they wouldn't get along so well, if only to get a proper night's sleep.

Balthier set his cards down. "Eighteen." Basch sighed and set down a hand of seventeen, and the sky pirate claimed the small winnings. "If you're putting down guns as barbarism, then how can you justify that bloody club you purchased today?"

The Princess grinned. Basch had obtained some arms for the party that day, and he had purchased a small hand axe for himself to use as a melee weapon. "Come now, Balthier. He paid for it with his own gil. Let him try something new," she argued.

"Thank you, Princess," Basch said and began shuffling the cards. While not as much of an expert as Balthier, the knight had a much practiced technique. The cards seemed to almost crackle between his strong hands. Where Balthier's shuffling was graceful but flamboyant, Basch was no-nonsense and practical. Ashe wondered if her own shuffling mirrored her personality so eerily.

She tucked her legs under her and looked to the older man curiously. "Basch, where did you learn to play?"

He laughed quietly and dealt another hand to himself and Balthier. "Your Majesty forgets that the military life is not limited to the battlefield. I spent many an idle hour playing cards. Keeps you sharp, teaches you to watch your opponent's face."

As he said so, Balthier stuck out his tongue at him and crossed his eyes. Basch chuckled. "You find out how to perceive when he is bluffing. To find his tell, what he does that gives himself away."

The Princess used this remark as an excuse to study Balthier's face. After his willingness to share his past with her, she had not yet had a chance to apologize to him about her rudeness in the Salikawood. She wondered if he was upset with her. Right now, she had no idea as his face was completely blank. "And what is Balthier's tell?"

Basch frowned and handed Balthier another card when the sky pirate nodded. "I have yet to discern it," he confessed.

"That's because I don't have one," the younger man replied cheerfully, setting his cards down. He had twenty-one.

His opponent sighed and set down a hand of nineteen. "Everyone has one," Basch muttered.

Balthier gathered the small stones and began arranging the pile to his satisfaction. "Well, I'm not everyone." He stared at her then and gave her a conspiratorial grin. "But the Captain here always seems to have an itch behind his ear to scratch when he bluffs."

Ashe smiled and looked to Basch, who shook his head in realization. He tossed his cards to Balthier who began to shuffle the deck in his elaborate style. "You are a keen student of body language, Balthier," Basch admitted.

"Comes with the job, I suppose," the pirate declared. Ashe watched his hands shuffling, and she couldn't help wondering. Does it come with the job of a pirate…or a judge? He noticed her watching him, and he met her eyes. His face still revealed nothing. "And the Princess' body language suggests that she wants in on the next hand."

Basch stretched his arms over his head, his joints releasing a few popping sounds. "That pleases my ears greatly. I've lost enough of my spare loot to you this night." The knight stood and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Do not stay up too late with this pirate, Highness. He will know when you are bluffing." He left his small pile of stones for her to bet with, and she hoped she would have better luck.

The Princess nodded, and Basch retreated to his tent for the evening. They sat in relative silence for the next few minutes, only the words "hit" and "stand" being uttered. She could not meet his eyes, and she wondered how she could apologize. He cleared his throat, and she was startled.

"Are you going to place a bet this hand or not?" he asked quietly. She looked up to see him watching her curiously, his head tilted slightly in concern.

"I'm sorry," she answered and lifted one of the stones. She was about to add it to the pile in between them when she thought of his words to her earlier that day.

Don't give your heart to a stone…

She stared at the small stone, a pebble really. "And I'm sorry."

He laughed. "You said that already, Princess."

Ashe shook her head and brought the stone down, tapping it gently against the wooden platform. "No, I mean…I want to say I'm sorry about what I said in the Salikawood. About your childhood, I mean. I didn't know, and I feel like I insulted you."

He nodded and set his cards down. "It's nothing. Now you know more of the whole picture, I suppose. I didn't go spending time in…what did you call them? Seedy pirate taverns? Well, I didn't spend all my gil there until I was at least sixteen." He winked at her, accepting her apology.

She gave him a small smile and set her own cards down. She thought of a younger version of the Balthier in front of her in a tavern with a bunch of rowdy pirates. Knowing now that he came from a more aristocratic upbringing, she wondered how out of place he must have looked. "I hope you were more knowledgeable than Vaan."

Balthier chuckled and leaned back on his elbows to gaze out at the darkened waters of the sea. "Ah yes, I would say I was not so…open about sharing what I did not know. Vaan should play his cards closer to the vest if you'll pardon the expression."

Ashe relaxed a bit and tossed the little stone into Basch's pile. She wanted to know so much more about him. What was it like to be a judge? What was his father like before the nethicite? But it was part of a past he wanted to forget, saying as much to her earlier that day.

"I suppose we have a few more days before we reach the capital?" she asked quietly. He nodded, not breaking his eyes away from the waves hitting the shore. It appeared that his confessions that morning had been all he was willing to share with her that day. "Shall we play another hand?"

He seemed hypnotized by the crashing water, and he did not hear her question. She realized how truly upset he was about having to return to the city of his birth. All that running, he had said, and he had gotten nowhere. All she wanted was to be in her home, to rule Dalmasca. She missed the palace, the delicate tapestries adorning its walls, the rich treats stolen away from the kitchen. Though he ran, did he miss it? Any of it?

The Princess kept her questions to herself. She stood up and stretched her legs. "Good night, Balthier," she uttered softly. It was as if she wasn't even there. He had taken her husband's wedding band to lead her to the Garif, but he had asked no reward for this leg of the journey. Why was he guiding them all this way against his own wishes?

She walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "I said good night," she said, trying to break him from his trance.

He finally blinked, but he did not turn his head. "Good night, Princess," he answered. She turned away to head back to her tent.

-

She gazed across the placid waters to marvel once again at the ancient city. Her muscles ached from battling fiends on the treacherous water steps within, and her mind ached equally with the burden set upon her by the Occuria. Their next journey would take them to the Sun-Cryst, but for now they rested across the river from Giruvegan. They would head back towards Balfonheim the following day to consult with Reddas once again.

Ashe was to be the hand of the ancients in Ivalice, to wield the ultimate power. What would she do when she came upon this Sun-Cryst? Would she use it to destroy Archadia as they wished her to? There was not much she could do at the moment, so she left the edge of the stone platform to wander back to the rest of her party. Basch and Vaan were setting up tents while Balthier and Penelo played at cards. Fran stood alone, and Ashe decided to approach the Viera.

"You are still alright? The Mist has not changed since we returned?" she asked gently, and the tall woman nodded in reply.

Fran admired the ancient carvings embedded in the rock beneath her feet. "It is a marvelous place. That such evil fiends guard it within is not surprising. Those who look down on Ivalice do not wish to be disturbed."

The Princess sighed in agreement. "Unless they have someone to invest with their power."

The Viera shook her head and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I sense that our next adventure will be even more difficult. But do not worry. We will see this through to its conclusion with you." As she said that, her warm eyes drifted over to her partner who was apparently teaching Penelo a new game. Ashe followed Fran's gaze and watched him as well.

"His father manipulated us. He knew what was going to happen," the Princess noted sadly. She remembered Balthier's disgust with himself for not catching on to Dr. Cid's trickery. Ashe hoped he did not blame himself for it. They would never have learned about the Sun-Cryst if they hadn't come all this way.

"That man is not his father. Not any longer. He is warped, twisted," Fran noted calmly as they continued to watch the sky pirate. Penelo clapped her hands excitedly, and gathered a handful of cards from in between them to add to her own pile.

Balthier smiled at the girl's apparent victory, and his eyes drifted over to catch them watching him. "This all weighs heavily on his mind. Though he may not say so, it hurts him to see that man manipulate you. He wishes he could do something more," Fran continued. The man had tried to force his son to be a judge, and now he had knowingly sent her to the Occuria.

His smile faded at their scrutiny, and he took on a neutral expression. Penelo stood up and brushed herself off, scampering away to help Basch and Vaan. Fran walked over to join them, leaving Ashe alone with Balthier. He began shuffling the cards again and gestured for her to sit down.

The Princess walked over and settled down across from him, letting Fran's words sink in. He began dealing cards to the two of them, dividing the deck in half between them. She didn't know this game. "What are we playing?" she asked him, meeting his eyes.

"War," he answered, finishing his dealing. She knew she had made a face unconsciously at his response, and he shrugged his shoulders. She was reading more into it than she had to, it appeared. "It's rather simple actually. Set down a card," he told her, setting down an eight of diamonds.

She set down a four of clubs next to his card, and he picked up both and added them to the bottom of his pile. "My card was higher, so I win. That's pretty much it." They continued quietly for a few moments, the only sound from him a soft grumble when she claimed one of his kings with an ace.

Vaan wandered over minutes later, offering them each some bread. "What's this game?" he asked, standing over and watching them lay down cards.

"War…but it's just for two players," Balthier muttered, accepting the food and settling it on his knee. Ashe thanked Vaan for the snack, and she munched on it as the young man walked off in disappointment.

"Surely he could watch?" she inquired thoughtfully as she set down a five of spades. He shook his head. It seemed he could only brood with an audience of one. He placed a five of diamonds down, and she looked up at him.

"What do we do when we have the same number?" she asked. He gestured for her to set one card face down on top of the five.

"Now we set down another card face up, and whichever is higher wins the war. The winner then gets the other cards as well," he replied. She did as he instructed, placing a six of hearts face up.

He put down a nine of clubs and released a triumphant breath. Ashe sighed. "Let's see what you've won," she muttered and went to turn over the other cards, but he reached for them at the same time, and their hands met.

She froze as his fingers brushed against the top of her hand. He cleared his throat and took his hand back, letting her turn the cards over. She willed her fingers not to shake as she overturned the cards. He had won a ten of hearts from her in addition to the other two cards. She sighed. "Here lies the challenge of the game. Luck chooses the winner. You don't know what cards are to be laid down."

He nodded. "It's the chance you have to take." Ashe wondered if they were still talking about the card game at all. She was reminded of Dr. Cid's words, of putting history back into the hands of men. That people should not let the Occuria dictate what cards are to be laid down. Is that what Balthier was trying to tell her? To make her own choices…to not give her heart to nethicite and let it dictate what was to happen?

She continued to lay down cards, these new considerations swirling through her head. They each put down a jack, and he stopped her before she set down another card. "Why don't we make this interesting?" he asked.

Ashe looked up to see him watching her, his face blank but his eyes twinkling deviously. The man appeared to be obsessed with betting. "Interesting how?"

He shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his bread. He swallowed and spoke again. "Bet something."

The Princess thought of what trinkets and loot she had obtained in their travels through the ancient city. "I don't have anything you'd want…" she began, but immediately regretted it. He smiled widely at her, and she wondered how she always seemed to wander into his innuendo traps.

She touched her left hand, feeling the empty space where Rasler's ring had once been. She sighed and looked away from him. "That is to say I don't have anything left of value that you haven't already taken from me," she said quietly.

It was probably out of line for her to say something like that with what Fran had told her. He said nothing, and he simply continued the game. She took another bite of her bread, and she felt awful for taking her frustration out on him. He wasn't the one who gave her the Treaty Blade and told her to destroy a nation.

After minutes of silence, she put down her small stack of cards. "I didn't mean that," she muttered sadly. He would not meet her eyes as he picked up her cards and put them back in his case. Balthier stood and walked away, his face nonchalant so as not to give anyone else the impression that he was upset. Ashe felt the realization strike her unexpectedly. It was his tell.

-

The large vessel glided through the skies, and she gazed out the large windows at the airship's bow. Up on deck, Vaan and Penelo were probably running around full of energy. Fran sat at a table in the parlor catching up with a Viera wayfarer and old friend while Basch laid low in a cabin of his own. She watched the clouds pass by the airship, the view from the skies a spectacular one as the ship flew over the Mosphoran Highwaste.

They had made it back from Giruvegan relatively unscathed and were now en route to Balfonheim from the aerodrome in Rabanastre. As for her remaining companion, Balthier had not spoken much to her since they left the ancient city. This wasn't so unusual since she knew they were all under a great deal of stress with day after day of battle and the looming threat of war. But it was as if he was purposefully ignoring her.

She could tell that Fran knew something was going on, as the Viera had given her a few curious glances the past few days. They had boarded in Rabanastre, and Fran caught her watching Balthier trudge back to the cabins on his own to rest. The older woman had inclined her head, suggesting Ashe follow him, and she had looked away in embarrassment.

"He's your partner," she had grumbled to Fran, "I wouldn't know what to say to him to get him out of this…whatever state he is in."

The Viera had not been able to respond as her old friend had wandered up then to strike up a conversation, and Ashe was glad for it. The Princess was not enjoying Fran's insinuating behavior. It was not as if she and Balthier were engaged in a lovers' quarrel! She sighed. From an objective standpoint, it probably did look as if they were engaged in a spat of some kind.

Ashe walked away from the windows and passed through the ship, entering the parlor. Fran nodded in acknowledgment as she went by her table, and she wandered to the airship attendant's stand. "Do you need a cabin, miss?" the young woman inquired when she approached.

"No, actually…could you tell me where my friend is staying? His name is Balthier," she asked quietly, trying not to draw Fran's attention.

The young woman checked the register and smiled. "Quite the charmer, your friend. He's in cabin sixteen." Ashe withheld the urge to smirk at the helpful young attendant, and she thanked her for her assistance. She opened the door and entered the narrower hallway that led to the cabins on board.

Number sixteen was at the end of the hall, and she raised her hand to knock. What was she supposed to say? Balthier, I'm sorry for making you feel bad about taking my husband's wedding ring from me as compensation for your assistance? She shook her head. What if he was sleeping? She didn't really want to disturb him, but the more practical part of her mind said that it would be impossible to continue their journey if they weren't speaking.

She knocked on the door quietly and heard a muffled "Come in, Princess," from the other side. Ashe was startled, and she turned the doorknob to enter the room. His back was to her as he sat at a small table in the center of the room, his hands engaged in some sort of card game yet again.

Ashe stayed back by the door, leaning against it. "How did you know it was me?"

He didn't turn to look at her. "Basch would have knocked harder, Fran is chatting with a friend, Penelo would have announced herself at the door, and Vaan would not have knocked at all." She grinned at his explanation and walked closer to the table. His voice was a bit cheerier than she had heard it in a few days, so she figured it was alright to approach him.

She looked over his shoulder to see him engaged in a game of solitaire. He was scrutinizing his little piles of cards, wondering where his next move would be. Ashe spied a black five card that could be placed on a red six, and she couldn't help herself. "Five of spades on the six of diamonds."

Balthier set down the remainder of the deck and leaned back in the chair. He tilted his head back to look up into her face. "You know, the name of the game implies that I am playing alone. That means without input from the little angel on my shoulder."

He began to gather the cards back up, and she felt horrible. "Oh, don't stop your game because of me. I can come back…" She moved to walk away, but he turned in his chair, grabbing her wrist.

"You came here for a reason, Ashe. What do you want?" he asked calmly, releasing her. He rose from the chair and leaned against the table, his arms crossing his chest protectively.

She met his eyes. "We're all under a great deal of pressure. What I said to you in Giruvegan…I gave you my husband's wedding ring of my own will. I should not have taken out my frustrations on you when you have been nothing but an asset to my journey."

He sighed. "You think that's why I'm upset?" he inquired curiously. She was confused and nodded, not knowing how else to respond. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Princess, I am not my chipper self because at every turn someone is trying to manipulate you. Whether it be Archadia, the Occuria or even my…even Dr. Cid…"

Balthier stopped himself at the last moment from referring to the madman as his father, and she could feel her heart ache for him. She gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. "They're using you. They see you as naught more than a pawn in their machinations."

He was right. Archadia would have seen her rule as their puppet, the Occuria would see her destroy the Empire, and Dr. Cid would watch it all gleefully. Even her uncle, the Marquis, would have had her hide away in Bhujerba to preserve his own standing.

"What if that is all I am?" She moved to lean against the table beside him. She gripped the smooth wooden table in frustration, her shoulders slumping. "How can I rule Dalmasca when the world sees me as someone to use for their own schemes?"

He laughed, and she was hurt by the reaction. She looked sideways at him, but his eyes were not unkind. "You don't honestly believe that do you?" he asked.

"Well isn't that what you're implying? That I'm a pawn?" she retorted angrily. She reached behind her to grab a handful of cards from the table. The Princess began shuffling them in her hands absentmindedly, no rhyme or reason to her movements. Is that how they all saw her?

Ashe didn't notice him move away from the table to stand in front of her then. His hands grasped hers, stilling the movements of the cards in her fingers. "Princess, you're so much more than that," he said softly. She looked up in surprise at his words, and he smiled at her. "They're not going to see it coming."

He removed the cards from her hands gently, stepping closer to her. She felt her heart quicken its pace as his lips pressed softly against her forehead. He whispered against her skin. "I'm a betting man, as you know. And I'd wager that Ashelia B'Nargin Dalmasca will be no pawn of the gods or of men."

The sky pirate moved his lips to her own then, and she felt suddenly lighter. She felt one of his hands brush against her cheek and the other slid against her hand. It was over before she even had time to process what was happening, and she felt something thin and papery being slid beneath the fingers of her hand.

"Not a traditional pair, I know…" His lips were beside her ear now, his breath warm against her. "But I think they'll have what it takes to win the game." He moved away from her then, and she saw him leaving the room when her eyes opened once more.

She looked down to see two playing cards beneath her hand. She grinned at the Jack of Spades and its new partner…the Queen of Hearts.


End file.
